This invention relates to modifying the surface of carbon microfibers.
Carbon microfibers (i.e. fibers having very small diameters, typically less than 1 micron) are known. Microfibers having diameters less than 0.5 micron are often referred to as fibrils. Examples of such microfibers and methods for preparing them are described in Tennent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,230 ("Carbon Fibrils, Method for Producing Same and Compositions Containing Same"); Tennent et al., U.S. Ser. No. 06/871,676 ("Novel Carbon Fibrils, Method for Producing Same and Compositions Containing Same") filed Jun. 6, 1986, now abandoned, refiled as continuation application Ser. No. 07/593,319, filed Oct. 1, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,909, issued Nov. 24, 1992; Tennent et al., U.S. Ser. No. 06/871,675 ("Novel Carbon Fibrils, Method for Producing Same and Encapsulated Catalyst") filed Jun. 6, 1986, now abandoned, refiled as continuation application Ser. No. 07/492,365, filed Mar. 9, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,560, issued Dec. 15, 1992; Snyder et al., U.S. Ser. No. 07/149,153 ("Carbon Fibrils") filed Jan. 28, 1988, now abandoned, refiled as continuation application Ser. No. 07/494,894, filed Mar. 13, 1990, refiled as continuation application Ser. No. 07/694,244, filed May 1, 1991; and Mandeville et al., U.S. Ser. No. 07/285,817, filed Dec. 16, 1988 ("Fibrils") refiled as continuation application Ser. No. 07/746,065, filed Aug. 12, 1991, refiled as continuation application Ser. No. 08/284,855, filed Aug. 2, 1994, all of which are assigned to the same assignee as the present application and are hereby incorporated by reference.